Button-key



NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ST. JOHN, OF NEV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

BUTTON-KEY.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,714, dated November 24, 1863.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY ST. JOHN, of New Haven, in the county ot' New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Button-Key 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description of the construction and operation of the same, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, and which said drawings constitute part of this specitication and represent, in

Figure l, the key, and Figs. 2, 3, and 4 the manner of inserting the same into the eye of a button.

My invention relates to the attachment of metal buttons, or such others as are attached by means of an eye. Its object is to produce a button-key as a substitute for the buttonring now used, which shall be cheaper of construction and more conveniently inserted into theeye of the button and it consistsin forming a spring-key from one piece of wire by bending it so as to form two legs, one of which shall be straight, the other leg to form three curves--two outwa rd and one in wardbetween the other two, and the leg terminating at the point or end of the first leg to form nearly a right angle.

To enable others skilled in theart to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

From a piece of spring wire, cut to the proper length, I bend at a to form nearly a right-angle, leaving the leg b straight, then bend to form an outward curve, c, then aninward curve, d, then an outward curve, e, and terminating at the end of the leg b in a right angle, and my key is complete. I have described these bends as being made singly, but by a multiplication of mechanical devices they may be all made at the same time.

To use my invention, place the eye f of the the button g through ahole in the garment, or

whatever it is desired to affix the button to, then place the two ends of the key into the eye, as shown in Fig. 2, press down the leg b until the key enters the buttons eye, asin Fig. 3, then turn the key to the position relative to the button as shown in Fig. 4, and the button is iixed.

To detach the button reverse the operation of insertion.

In the key now Iruch used as a substitute for the old button-ring, both legs are bent or curved very nearly alike, .and the two must necessarily terminate at alittle distance apart, as one leg only of the key is inserted into the eye of the button, and then left hanging loosely, in which position it is often annoying to the ,wearer by catching in the dress or irri tating the flesh whenever it comes in contact y it; and, if the wire of the eyeis ne,thekeyis very apt to slipout, and thus the button is lost, whereas in my improvement both legs are inserted through the eye, the straight one acting as a spring to hold the key lirmly in the buttonfeye, and when properly inserted it cannot possibly become detached without the aid ofhands, be the'eye .large or small, and while the old key hangs loosely, my improved key lies lia-t and close to the garment.l I do not, therefore, broadly claim a button-key having two legs, both curved, and used by the insertion of oneleg only through thebutton-eye, the same being common and well known but,

Having fully set forth and described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, andr desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A button-key, one leg of which is straight, the other curved, substantially as described, so that both legs may be inserted into the eye of a button, in the manner and for the purpose specified.

H ENRY ST. JOHN. Witnesses JOHN E. EARLE, K. JOHNSON. 

